On the Impossible Past

On the Impossible Past is the third studio album by American punk rock band The Menzingers. It was released by Epitaph Records on February 21, 2012. The album was met with widespread acclaim by music critics, with the aggregating website Metacritic calculating an average score of 93 out of 100.[6]

On the Impossible Past
Studio album by
The Menzingers
ReleasedFebruary 21, 2012 (2012-02-21)
Recorded2011
Genre
Length41:31
LabelEpitaph
ProducerMatt Allison
The Menzingers chronology
Chamberlain Waits
(2010)		 On the Impossible Past
(2012)		 Rented World
(2014)
On the Possible Past
EP by
The Menzingers
ReleasedFebruary 21, 2012
Recorded2011
GenreAcoustic punk
Length22:01
LabelEpitaph

Track listing

All songs written, composed and performed by The Menzingers

On the Impossible Past track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Good Things"2:23
2."Burn After Writing"3:03
3."The Obituaries"3:17
4."Gates"4:04
5."Ava House"3:41
6."Sun Hotel"3:51
7."Sculptors and Vandals"2:10
8."Mexican Guitars"3:08
9."On the Impossible Past"1:33
10."Nice Things"3:28
11."Casey"3:42
12."I Can't Seem to Tell"3:05
13."Freedom Bridge"4:12
Total length:41:31

On the Possible Past

Pre-orders of the album included a cassette titled On the Possible Past, which contains demos recorded during the winter and spring of 2011. The collection was released on a one time pressing of 1,000 on green vinyl by Epitaph Records.[7]

  1. "Good Things" – 2:18
  2. "Burn" – 2:15
  3. "Ava" – 2:46
  4. "Sun Hotel" – 3:51
  5. "Sculptors and Vandals" – 2:22
  6. "Casey" – 3:18
  7. "I Can't Seem to Tell" – 2:33
  8. "Freedom Bridge" – 2:38

Reception

Critical response
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic93/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
AbsolutePunk9.5/10[2]
Alternative Press[8]
Kerrang![1]
Pitchfork8.0/10[9]
PopMatters8/10[4]
Rock Sound8/10[10]
Sputnikmusic[11]
This Is Fake DIY8/10[12]

On the Impossible Past garnered critical acclaim upon its release.[6] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream music critics, the album received an average score of 93, based on nine reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[6] AllMusic writer Gregory Heaney awarded the album four stars out of five and praised its "wryly nostalgic performance, giving a nod to their punk roots as they embrace the rugged earnestness of the Rust Belt with songs about broken hearts, loneliness, and self-doubt."[3] Thomas Nassiff of AbsolutePunk called the album "sweeping, driven, masterful" as he scored it a near-perfect 9.5/10. He confessed that despite "review[ing] albums every week, I just can't seem to fully explain my adoration" for it, before summarizing On the Impossible Past "is an album that should have come out decades ago...this is something that has no expiration date."[2] Steve Lepore of PopMatters called the album "an impeccably crafted melodic hardcore record by a group ready for its close-up."[4] The album also received favorable reviews from the BBC and Exclaim![13][14]

Accolades
Accolades for On the Impossible Past
Publication Country Accolade Rank
AbsolutePunk United States AP.net Staff List: Top 30 Albums of 2012[15] 1
Frontier Psychiatrist The Top 50 Albums of 2012[16] 26
Metacritic Best Under-the-Radar Releases[17] 2
Punknews Best of 2012 – Staff Picks[18] 1
Sputnikmusic Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2012[19] 25
Kerrang! United Kingdom The K! Critics' Top 101 Albums of the Year[20] 13
Rock Sound The 50 Best Albums of 2012[21] 1
This Is Fake DIY DIY Albums of 2012[22] 20
Thrash Hits The Thrash Hits Top 20 Albums of 2012[23] 6

Personnel

The Menzingers

  • Tom May – guitar, vocals
  • Joe Godino – drums
  • Greg Barnett – guitar, vocals
  • Eric Keen - bass guitar

References
  1. McMahon, James (February 18, 2012). "Awe-inspiring third outing from Pennsylvania punk poets". Kerrang!. No. 1402. Bauer Media Group. pp. 50–51. ISSN 0262-6624.
  2. Nassiff, Thomas (February 10, 2012). "The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past". AbsolutePunk ). Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  3. Heaney, Gregory (February 21, 2012). "Review: On The Impossible Past". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  4. Lepore, Steve (February 27, 2012). "The Menzingers: On the Impossible Past". PopMatters. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  5. Sacher, Andrew. "The Menzingers' On the Impossible Past turns 10 – nostalgic album is nostalgic". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  6. "On The Impossible Past Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  7. "The Menzingers to release 'On the Possible Past' on vinyl".
  8. Pearlman, Mischa (March 2012). "Anthemic Escapism". Alternative Press. No. 284. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. p. 98. ISSN 1065-1667.
  9. Gaca, Anna (November 19, 2022). "The Menzingers: On the Impossible Past (10th Anniversary Edition)". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  10. Bangs, Amy (February 3, 2012). "Zzzzzzzzzing!". Rock Sound. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  11. Boy, Davey (February 19, 2012). "The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  12. Compton, Adam (February 20, 2012). "The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past". This Is Fake DIY. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  13. Lawrence, Alistair (February 29, 2012). "Stunning third album from maudlin Pennsylvania punks". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  14. Villeneuve, Nicole (February 29, 2012). "The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  15. Tate, Jason (December 3, 2012). "AP.net Staff List: Top 30 Albums of 2012". AbsolutePunk. Buzz Media. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  16. Lopez, L. V (December 7, 2012). "The Top 50 Albums of 2012". Frontier Psychiatrist. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  17. Dietz, Jason (December 21, 2012). "The Best Albums of 2012". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  18. "Best of 2012 - Staff Picks". Punknews. Buzz Media. December 28, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  19. Freeman, Channing (January 3, 2013). "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2012: 30 – 11". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  20. "EOY 2012 - Kerrang ! (UK)". Acclaimedmusic.net. December 28, 2013.
  21. Staff (December 21, 2012). "Features: Rock Sound's 50 Best Albums Of 2012 Part Five!". Rock Sound. Freeway Press. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  22. Jamieson, Sarah (December 6, 2013). "DIY Albums Of 2012: 20-11". This Is Fake DIY. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  23. Doyle, Tom (December 13, 2013). "The Thrash Hits Top 20 Albums of 2012". Thrash Hits. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
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